From Durham University, and the “would you, could you, with a goat” department comes this inanity. They can’t come up with any other explanation, so it must be ‘climate change’. At the rate of observed shrinkage, the goats will be palm sized by the year 2100. Just think of the pet market!
Via Eurekalert:
‘Shrinking goats’ another indicator that climate change affects animal size
Alpine goats appear to be shrinking in size as they react to changes in climate, according to new research from Durham University.
The researchers studied the impacts of changes in temperature on the body size of Alpine Chamois, a species of mountain goat, over the past 30 years.
To their surprise, they discovered that young Chamois now weigh about 25 per cent less than animals of the same age in the 1980s.
In recent years, decreases in body size have been identified in a variety of animal species, and have frequently been linked to the changing climate.
However, the researchers say the decline in size of Chamois observed in this study is striking in its speed and magnitude.
The research, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council is published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology.
Lead author Dr Tom Mason, in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, at Durham University, said: “Body size declines attributed to climate change are widespread in the animal kingdom, with many fish, bird and mammal species getting smaller.
“However the decreases we observe here are astonishing. The impacts on Chamois weight could pose real problems for the survival of these populations.”
The team delved into long-term records of Chamois body weights provided by hunters in the Italian Alps.
IMAGE: This shows a mother and juvenile Chamois in the Italian Alps.
They discovered that the declines were strongly linked to the warming climate in the study region, which became 3-4°C warmer during the 30 years of the study.
To date, most studies have found that animals are getting smaller because the changing climate is reducing the availability or nutritional content of their food.
However, this study found no evidence that the productivity of Alpine meadows grazed by Chamois had been affected by the warming climate. Instead, the team believes that higher temperatures are affecting how chamois behave.
Co-author Dr Stephen Willis, in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, at Durham University, said: “We know that Chamois cope with hot periods by resting more and spending less time searching for food, and this may be restricting their size more than the quality of the vegetation they eat.
“If climate change results in similar behavioural and body mass changes in domestic livestock, this could have impacts on agricultural productivity in coming decades.”
According to the authors, the future plight of the Chamois remains unclear.
Dr Philip Stephens, another co-author on the study, in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, at Durham University, said: “The body mass of juvenile animals is critical to their ability to survive harsh winters.
“However, whether that becomes a problem will depend on the balance of future climate change between the seasons.”
The research suggests that declining body size is a result of changes in both climate and the density of animals.
To counter declining body size in future, the researchers say it might be necessary to maintain Chamois populations at lower densities than occur at present, perhaps through changes in hunting regulations.
Dr Mason added: “This study shows the striking, unforeseen impacts that climate change can have on animal populations.
“It is vital that we continue to study how climate change affects species such as Chamois. Changes in body size could act as early-warning systems for worse impacts to come, such as the collapses of populations.”
###
[snip – funny, but you know how humorless those alarmists are – Anthony]
Maybe it was the Crab Nebula but the principle holds.
…so now we all want to know what “funny” is…our thoughts wandering. 🙂
“The Men Who Shrank Goats”, isn’t that a movie title? 🙂
It’s, “Honey, I shrank the kids.”
ding ding ding ding ding
folks
we have a winner.
Reply: Without a doubt. ~ctm
Here I thought it was another Clooney masterpiece….on acid!
Oh, man! Outstandingly Baaaahhd……
Shoot me now and put me out of my misery!
Seems to also cause shrinkage of brain tissue in primates….
Such garbage makes it an increasing embarrassment to be an ecologist! These guys are defiling science.
“To counter declining body size in future, the researchers say it might be necessary to maintain Chamois populations at lower densities than occur at present, perhaps through changes in hunting regulations.”
Perhaps the current climate is so beneficial to these goats and the hunting restrictions are so sever that the goats are out-breeding their environment.
or the hunters have potted off all the large ones?
so whats left is smaller breeding stock
and probably overcrowded
The only real difference, that I believe may be attributed to climate change, is the size of the lefties brains.
They are becoming much smaller, and completely dysfunctional! Strange phenomena….
They’ve rediscovered Allen’s Rule and Bergmann’s Rule and misattributed thermal regulation adaptation to malnutrition. Clue: volume to surface area ratio.
Thx for mention of Allen’s Rule and Bergmann’s Rule. I knew of the phenomena; I didn’t know they had names.
The temperature where the goats roam has increased 3-4 degrees C in the last 30 years?
Hmmm. . . .I wonder just how reliable their temperature monitoring system is. . . .????
Unfortunately, they did not have temperatue records, so they used the size of the goats as proxies.
Hey, at least they’re not tree rings
theres a line here:-)
how do they measure Goats Rings..?
ooooeeer
Where on earth is there a four degree change in 30 years? ……wait are these model goats or real empirical goats?
John Cook hints at the poles..
Funny you should mention that.
They said:
“The team delved into long-term records of Chamois body weights provided by hunters in the Italian Alps.”
Don’t know about model but they do sound made up.
I don’t see getting too worked up because some older hunters bragged about how big the goats used to be back in the day nor if a fisherman likes to tell us about the big one that got away.
Nice story…
Not Science.
Plus, I agree there should be more information about the temperature data for the goat’s home town.
Might be some urban heat included, maybe.
Don’t worry, if the data is available to show that they can homogenise some very quickly.
I think the readings were acquired using rectal thermometers.
Can I say this study is full of goat’s shyte?
Why does global warming generally mean less of something good (to eat like goats), and more of something bad? More mosquitoes, rats, flies, flees, bubonic plague and fewer polar bears, baby seals, cod, popcorn and soda?
Hey, smaller goats but MORE OF THE CRITTERS!!!! Thrive and get smaller, thrive and get bigger. This is not entirely inconsistent with our pile of crap.
It’s well known that smaller, more agile creatures are easier for predators to spot and to catch and kill, so this will definitely cause their extinction!
4 degrees C warmer in 30 years sounds fishy. Just exactly where were the increased temps found? That’s very important. Also, higher temps means longer growing seasons, which should mean increased weights.
Thirty years isn’t enough to show much. They don’t have enough data to make any claims, and there are probably several other causes of reduced body weights, even if they are there. Sampling errors can occur because of the time of the year when body weights are taken and also there are sheer biological variations, about which this study knows nothing. They are not in any position to even say whether a 25%
weight reduction is normal or not. They also should have population weights measured for more than just two points in time. Otherwise there is no way to judge any correlation between the supposed independent (temps) and dependent (body weight) variables. This study is simply half-assed, to be technical about it.
Also, how accurately can they determine age of the goats being measured? Have they corrected for gender? Is the goat population distributed the same as it was 30 years ago? Has the diet changed in any way? Changes in behavior (less searching for food) does not change the goats’ genetics. Are these goats genetically the same population as those measured 30 years ago? Unless you can prove that very important point, you can’t say anything about anything.
What worries me is the intelligence of those who allocate research funds for these incompetent people who try, unsuccessfully, to justify how they spent the money.
interesting the largest bears live north while elephants roam the equatorial regions and what about those whales? …and those huge animals roaming 65 million years ago…in all that heat…
And those huge animals roaming around 65 million years ago in an atmosphere with 1700 ppm of CO2 (cretaceous) seem to be doing ok without any thermogeddon.
And even more, a period earlier at the peak of the giant saurpods were roaming with an atmosphere with 1950 ppm.
I wonder how they survived with some 41,950ppm CO2 in their lungs? Better ask McFibben..
I was thinking the same thing. If the connection between temperature and animal size is correct then Jurassic Park would have to place signs everywhere saying “Please do not step on the T. rex.”
“It is vital that we continue to study how climate change affects species such as Chamois. Changes in body size could act as early-warning systems for worse impacts to come, such as the collapses of populations.”
Well, according to the article, populations won’t actually “collapse,” they’ll just… shrink.
The population could collapse, so we may need to help it with more agressive hunting practices.
uh, what?
“It’s vital we continue to get funded up the wazoo for this baloney while the cash is easy to get from deluded grabbermints and leftie idiots.”
Fixed.
So researchers from Durham , a grey, cold Northern city want to spend more study time in sunlit Alpine meadows beneath majestic snow covered mountain peaks . What a surprise (not).
They have got to be kidding haven’t they?
It’s Durham, clearly part of the nanny state.
What rubbish – but of course there is need for further study. I bet it’s nice in the mountains at that time of year. And no mention of the improved food supply from the increasing CO2 content – gracious, things are even worse than they thought!
Smaller is not BAAd
Chamois have become smaller because cars have gotten smaller and take less to chamois off”
now that’s funny
Too right – but have you seen some of the Chelsea Tractors clogging the roads here in London? Smaller – smaller than New Jersey, perhaps!
And – hey – increasing CO2 has meant that many organisms are getting smaller. I’m down 10% bodyweight in a year, thanks – obviously – to Gore-bull warming.
That’s my 5-2 Diet nature trick by the way.
/Sarc – except for genuine weight loss.
Auto
“If climate change results in similar behavioural and body mass changes in domestic livestock, this could have impacts on agricultural productivity in coming decades.”
HINT- selective breeding works even in very warm places.
Ever since climate change started, I have aged more. Climate change causes people to age. It has to stop.
“Yet they believe the decline in size of Chamois is unprecedented in its speed and magnitude, they write in Frontiers in Zoology. There is just one problem with their conclusion; the data they used was records of Chamois body weights provided by hunters in the Italian Alps, which is not a controlled study. ”
Quote is from Science 2.0
And perhaps the hunters shot all the big goats.
Yes, like how the collectors were finding declining numbers of that snail that was supposed to be extinct. Hunters reporting smaller goats. Man-made, just not man made climate change…
Bingoid! The hunters were sampling (and removing!) the right hand end of the bell curve. This is monumentally obvious to anyone with the capability of thought. The study is nonsense, junk science, fiction, drivel, garbage, pseudoscience, climatology, crap, codswallop, balderdash, rubbish, sewage.
There is this about Big Horn Sheep in Alberta
The hunt is actually selecting in a direction that is opposite to what natural selection would be.’- Marco Festa-Biachet, University of Sherbrooke
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/bighorn-sheep-shrinking-due-to-hunters-study-suggests-1.2459623
I have also seen the argument that warming dilutes the gene pool by allowing smaller/weaker animals to survive and breed as there is more food.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong…but if the study has no control is it not then de facto unscientific? Of course they could always wrangle about what constitutes a ‘control’
…prevailing data (RSS, UAH, etc) would tend to suggest flat temperatures cause shrinkage. If they are palm sized by 2100, we’re in an ice age.
Wow! This is good news in the fight against obesity – we needn’t worry about putting on weight, climate change will make us smaller and lighter … yipee … burgers all round!
The only things shrinking due to climate change are the researchers brains.
Conclusion 2 says hunters in the Alps hunt for the table, and not the wall.
Climate change is magic. Rising temperatures harm every species we value, and strengthen every species we consider a pest. Goats will shrink, while poison ivy will grow. Mosquitoes will flourish, while honeybees will be succumb to diseases. It is amazing.
That’s part of the meme. Nothing, absolutely nothing good can come from man made climate change!